EAST LANSING, MI -- If a jury finds state Rep. Bob Genetski not guilty of operating while intoxicated, it'll be because his defense convinced jurors there is reason to doubt the veracity of a blood-alcohol test result that showed the lawmaker was drunk.

At the opening day of Genetski's trial Monday in East Lansing District Court, the 45-year-old Saugatuck Republican's attorney, Mike Nichols, produced data and graphs from the Michigan State Police toxicology lab. Nichols projected images onto a canvas, showing calibration data from the lab that showed trace amounts of ethanol were present in control tests during instrumentation calibration.

The data also showed trace amounts of ethanol present in Genetski's blood sample. Geoffrey French, supervisor of the State Police's toxicology unit, said the "blips" on the chromatograms were less than 0.01 grams and thus were not measured or noted by the lab, per its standard operating procedure.

French said he was "sure" the traces found in control samples were due to instrumental carryover, when residual ethanol found its way in the sample from a syringe or injector. He said "it's not unusual to get a small blip."

"It's below what we've set the instrument to detect," French testified. It's "of little consequence to the testing that we're doing in this case."

"So you wouldn't be concerned if you saw the same amount of contamination in (Genetski's blood samples)?" Nichols asked.

"It's not giving a result that's high enough to trip a positive result on our instrument," French said.

Control samples contaminated with ethanol were run through State Police toxicology equipment just a few samples before Genetski's blood, according to data. Trace amounts of ethanol were evident in blips in his blood samples.

East Lansing District Judge David Jordon excused the jury momentarily Monday afternoon to discuss Nichols' line of questioning to French regarding the contamination. He called "junk" several graphs Nichols produced with varying Y-axes, which changed the depth and perception of peaks.

During redirect examination from Ingham County Assistant Prosecutor Russell Church, French said it was "possible for very, very slight carryover of enthanol" in Genetski's blood test, but that it would cause a "negligible effect" on results.

But Nichols called as the defense's first witness Janine Arvizu, a certified quality assurance auditor of laboratories. She called into question the credibility of the State Police toxicology lab's results.

"This laboratory has adopted a relatively unusual practice, and that is they prepare their calibrators internally," she said, adding standard practice is to order calibration materials from an accredited supplier.

The State Police's lab calibrates its headspace chromatography equipment, which it uses to test blood-alcohol levels, with materials it manufactures itself. Arvizu, who was qualified as an expert on the matter by the court, condemned that practice.

She said she had too little information to form an opinion on potential contamination of Genetski's blood, but said the State Police's practice is "problematic."

French testified his lab began calibrating its equipment daily within the past six weeks. It had previously calibrated weekly, which Arvizu called "surprising."

The last witness called by the defense was Andreas Stolz, a nuclear physicist at Michigan State University and department head of operations for the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at the institution. Stolz was qualified as an expert in metrology, the science of measurement, by the court.

Using data Nichols obtained from the State Police toxicology lab, Stolz implemented an uncertainty level for Genetski's blood test results accounting for the contamination levels present in the samples.

Stolz concluded a more accurate uncertainty level suggests Genetski's blood-alcohol level was actually between 0.076 and 0.085 percent, instead of the 0.088 percent the State Police's lab produced. The legal limit in Michigan is 0.08 percent.

Stolz said the State Police's lab has elements missing from its uncertainty value process.

"(It) only has calibrations that are done in house," he said. "The solutions are only being compared to what they have done in past years. ... An additional check you need (is) to make sure you have an accurate result, you would need to compare with a national standard or an international standard."

Nichols asked Stolz if he agreed with French's assertion that he was sure the ethanol contamination shown in the chromatograms came from a previous sample.

"As a scientist, I would be very careful to make such a statement without studying," Stolz said.

The defense rested after Church cross-examined Stolz. Jordon adjourned the trial until 9 a.m. Tuesday, when Church is expected to rebut with additional testimony. Closing arguments and a verdict would follow.

Genetski is charged with misdemeanor drunken driving, which is punishable by up to 93 days in jail, though jail time is unusual for first offenders. It also is punishable by up to 360 hours of community service and a maximum $500 fine.

During his opening statement, Nichols appealed to the six jurors' fairness.

"When you came in today, there was reasonable doubt in the room," he said. "When you came out and each of you took your seats, there was still reasonable doubt in the jury box. My theory is ... there remains reasonable doubt in the jury unless all six of you agree that Mr. Church has met his proof responsibility."

After the adjournment Monday evening, Nichols declined to comment as to what he felt his client's chances at winning the case were.

"You just never know what six people who you've never met before are thinking," he said.